By Joiner Martinez
Jul 19, 2024, 9:14 PM EDT
The Chicago Cubs made the decision to fire Japanese outfield interpreter Seiya Suzuki prior to Friday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Performer Toy Matsushita has been with the organization since Suzuki’s arrival in 2022.
“We basically made the decision that we could be in a good position going forward without Toy Matsushita,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “We’ve built a pretty good support system around Seiya with other people who can move the situation forward, and nothing will really change.”
Counsell said the decision to move on from Matsushita had nothing to do with getting more out of Suzuki, who is on pace for a career-low .334 on-base percentage.
Cubs staff members Nao Masamoto and Edwin Stanberry will work with Suzuki instead of Matsushita, according to a report from The Athletic.
Matsushita’s firing comes a month after Shohei Ohtani’s former manager Ippei Mizuhara pleaded guilty in federal court to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly $17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers star’s bank account.
Also Friday, the Cubs activated outfielder Mike Tauchman from the 10-day injured list and selected the contract of right-hander Jesus Tinoco from Triple-A Iowa. They optioned outfielder Alexander Canario to Iowa and moved left-hander Jordan Wicks (oblique) to the 60-day injured list.
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